Prior to last season, I always thought the Opening Day crowd at Camden Yards was a soft, corporate crowd. Everyone knows someone who got tickets from their office or their boss, or spouses company, et cetera. But in 2009, the fans booed the Severna Park phenom Mark Teixeira when he made his Yankee debut and this year they reserved their boos for an Oriole, new closer Mike Gonzalez.
I’m not here to lecture the fans, I’ve been outspoken about trying to get good fans to return to the Yard. However, I do hate knowing that if I cheer too loudly in the wrong section I’m going to get glares from the crab shuffle faithful. Last season I coined the slogan “I went to a hot dog race and a baseball game broke out” about Camden Yards. But there’s just something about that Opening Day crowd isn’t there? The fans vocally booed Mike Gonzalez during his introduction in the Opening Day ceremonies and I just have one question for the record 48,607 in attendance. Where are you going to be in a month?
I needed some time to cool off after tonight’s game to post an article about it. And the longer I let the topic stew in my brain, the further I got from wanting to write about what actually took place on the field today in Baltimore. I don’t even want to give you my opinion of Mike Gonzalez in this article and I hope the comments in response to this piece reflect the topic I’m addressing. I’m not here to talk about Gonzo’s role as closer or my thoughts on moving him out of that spot or keeping him in it.
What I do want to talk about are the fans. You want to boo an Oriole, that’s fine. But prove me wrong and come fill up the Yard in May, push the Yankee and Red Sox fans out of the park and get excited about watching baseball. Don’t tell me to sit down when there’s two strikes on a batter and don’t, for the love of all things holy, scream louder for the stupid games on the jumbotron than for the talent on the field.
To me, the fans that booed Mike Gonzalez are in all likelihood the same fans that won’t show up to another game all season. They’re the same fans that can’t name the Orioles rotation, tell you who’s playing at every position or what the Orioles’ schedule looks like this week. And I understand having bad fans, but if you’re going to boo your team then back it up with some passion and desire to win because there is nothing worse than a fan that doesn’t care.
Philly fans are ridiculed all the time for being negative or hypercritical of their team, but I respect them for their passion to win. You don’t run into too many negative fans from Philadelphia that don’t care about their teams or know what’s going on. They might bash every move the Phillies or Eagles make, but they sell out Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field and I respect that.
If Oriole fans want to become critical of this team then they need to back it up and history has taught me that they won’t.
Sorry about the last post…
I know where the Opening Day – Crab Shuffle Enthusiasts will be next month – The Preakness.
So there ARE good fans in this city. They just show up to Camden Yards one time per year?
Love the post, because as a die hard fan (who had to miss Opening Day- I'll be there at least 3 times this week though, and have season tix) I hate it when you see people in the crowd booing or not supporting their team, and you know that they won't come back. Sitting out by the bullpen, there are always the away fans that like to heckle some of our pitchers, and thats fine, because its baseball. But when hometown fans join in for players that are on a slide, then it's wrong. Just like you said- if you can back it up and support the team, thats fine. There are few fans that really come out to the game and are the true meaning of a good fan, and I hope, that if this team picks up the pace, that there will be more of us out there.
I'll serve as the exception to your hypothesis, Zach. I've got season tickets and would've been one of the loudest boo-birds but for my sore throat. I'm 23 and have been a faithful Orioles fan my entire life. My father and I even go to a handful of road games every season to experience the other ballparks. And, yes, I can name our rotation.
I booed because we had a closer last season who often gave us all heart attacks when he came in to close, but the vast majority of the time, he got the job done. We traded him for a AA third-baseman, but that's a discussion for another time. To fill the hole left by Sherrill's leaving, the front office brought in someone they didn't fully understand, as evidenced by the fact that we signed him to a two-year deal. After these performances, do you think any team in their right mind would want to trade for him?
I booed because I'm getting tired of the Orioles serving as a farm team every July 30th for the teams that are going to compete for the playoffs. We trade away some of our best to teams that seem to be doing fine without those players. We will never–I repeat NEVER be in contention for the AL East until we stop this style of trading. By the time MacPhail figures this out, however, I worry that B-Rob will be so old that we'll need a couple of seasons to find a suitable replacement for him. And the cycle starts all over again.
But mostly, I booed because Mike Gonzalez has not been performing up to the value that we paid for him. His job is to not allow any runs in the ninth inning. He didn't do it on Tuesday. He came one hard-hit line drive away from not getting it done on Thursday. And he certainly didn't do it yesterday. The Orioles want us to be excited about the prospects for our future, but that excitement will not be there when a record crowd sees our supposed closer sabotage our chances of winning games–for the third time in four games–without any recourse from Trembley.
That is why I booed at the ballpark yesterday, and I will continue to shout, "Bring back Sherrill!" each time I go until Gonzalez proves that he can be our closer. If he does this, I will gladly eat crow and sing the praises of Mike Gonzalez. But until that time, you can't fault any of us for booing.
27, I want to be proved wrong and I'm pleased to hear stories of passionate Orioles fans. As I stated above, I've got no problems with the boos if the fans back them up. It's the other 48,000 fans that were booing yesterday that won't show up the rest of the season.
At this moment, I'm not faulting anyone. But when I look in the stands tonight and see 10,000 in attendance, I'll be right then.
27, I have no problem with you booing, it is not my style, but you have earned the right as a loyal, paying customer. I question your thought behind the "Orioles serving as a farm team." I get that the O's could be 3-1 with George Sherrill, but they got good value out of him. Not only was he good while in Baltimore, but he was also an afterthought in the Bedard trade, who was parlayed for a starting 3B in 2011 and a AA arm who could make a big league roster in the next couple of years. Again, it was tough to let go of Sherrill, but they got maximum value out of him when at the begiinning of last year it looked like the O's had held onto him too long.
What other players of value have the O's farmed out under McPhail? Bedard? That trade was so one sided that it got Seattle's GM fired. Tejada? Again we got good value for a player ont he downside. Huff? Not a piece keeping the O's from contention. You can criticize the O's for a lot of things, but under McPhail the trades have been pretty shrewd.
Zach – The fans won't show up because of the garbage product that they have been getting for 12 straight years! It has nothing to do with booing and such but with the games the owner and management play. SACKUSMC27 is so dead on with his comments its pitiful.
The fans are fed up with the product! Plain and simple…. Couple of questions…
1. If you kept getting glass in your Pepsi would you still buy it?
r. If your bat kept breaking everytime you hit the ball would you buy the same one?
7. When you kept buying the same bag of shrimp and open it at home and there are peas in there instead of shrimp would you keep buying it?
Same thing with the fans and the Orioles. They have been putting their money into the same product for 12 years and getting the same if not worse results. They are going to stop spending their money on a phony product.
And don't say things are looking up? That same comment has been used 10 years straight. Heck, last year was even worse than the year before. When the fans feel they are getting their moneys worth on a defective product they will come back. But now they are using their head and not throwing money into a endless hole.
I didn't address the talent on the field in this post, that's a separate argument and if you want to have it we can. What I wanted to address in this post was that the 48,000 loyal fans that showed yesterday won't be any where to be found today, tomorrow, or next month.
Not only will they not show up, but they're uneducation on the team and lack interest or even the desire to win. You want to be boo your players that's fine, but back it up with some passion for the product.
What I said in my last post is the reason they don't show up. I didn't talk only about the onfield talent. I talked about management. Opening Day is a special fun day thats why they showed but now the reality of the product has set back in.
The team from players to management stinks and until there's and overall change the fans will stay away.
"Opening Day is a special fun day thats why they showed…"
I disagree…everyone loves a party, that's why they showed up. If you talked to 24,000 of the 48,000 there yesterday, you probably couldn't get a coherent sentence out of them by the third inning. Half of the fans there yesterday were looking for an excuse to take a half day off and get blotto and had nothing to do with being a baseball fan. It's like that every year.
I know I'm going to stir the pot, but it's the reason football is so popular here in town. It's an event, a party, that takes place every other week. Sure, there's a core of hard core fans much deeper than the Orioles have right now, but it's all about the event and little to do with the game.
"Opening Day is a special fun day"…
Apologies to Shiela…
Here's what the O's did for me on Opening Day:
Charged me $44 "Special Event Pricing" to sit 14 rows up in Section 1 which is actually farther away from Home Plate then the folks standing behind the outta town scoreboard in right field.
Hung up a hunnert "Red, White, & Blue" Banners that were actually "Washed out red, Pale blue, and Dirty white". They were an embarrassment to our Country and to the Organization.
Didn't have instant replay working until the second inning, after I called 1.888.848.BIRD to inquire why the multi-million dollar "state of the art" screen in centerfield was showing who was gonna be up in the next inning rather than a replay of what just happened on the field — especially to those of us sitting practically in the Warehouse for $44 without a view of anything from the first base foul line to straight-away center field.
FORTY-FOUR FREAKING BUCKS (PLUS the Nine Dollar "Handling Fee" for TicketTron — which is a whole nother joke!).
Failed to synchronize the scoreboards on the first and third base sides with the center field scoreboard (one would have Markakis batting .250, the other would have him at .222 during the same at bat).
And then there were the "Fans"…Apart from what's already been discussed, how 'bout the lack of a 4-minute Standing Ovation for Brooksie before the game…'A warm round of appluase?" Yes. A rousing ovation that brought a tear to your eye or at least made the hair on the back of your neck stand up? No.
Or how 'bout making Miggi back outta the batter's box his first time up in "his return to Baltimore"? Nope.
Or how 'bout the crown rising to its feet to greet new Closer Mike Gonzalez as he walked to the mound with a one-run lead to start the bottom of the ninth inning? Again, nope.
Organization sucks…Teams sucks…Fans suck…
"Opening Day is a special fun day"…
Bruz – here's the excuses you are going to get from the Orioles' "fans"…
"The team stinks. Aint won in twelve years Inferior product."
I spent a week in the baseball "mecca" of Tampa…you know, the team that has been in existence for 12 years and has only finished out of the cellar three times – yes, that Tampa. Fans were into the game, ringing cowbells, booing the umpire unmercifully for 2 + innings after the check swing strike 3, throw em out at second play, fans were into the games at every restaurant and bar I went to each night…I asked those who went with me to take mental notes of the fans in Tampa and then compare that to what they experienced at OPACY. Our fans stink. The Brooksie intro and the smattering of applause only solidifies my belief that Baltimore is a football town and baseball is a distant second.
I would imagine that you couldn't get a coherent sentence from any of those fans by the first inning. Opening day is supposed to be fun for fans, not drunks and that's coming from someone who drank his way through high school and college. It wasn't like this ten years ago and not even in '97 when they went wire-to-wire. I walked in with a family of four and they had a feared look on their face because of all the belligerence in the line coming in. I have two kids under five and it will be some time before I bring them to opening day because of this. Pickles looked like Preakness and I agree with STG that these same fans will be at Preakness in a month.
Going to games becomes more of an economical thing for me these days having a family. I may not have season tickets, but at the end of the year I could probably count on one hand and name the dates of how many games I did not watch on tv or listen to on the radio. With that said though, there may be other fans going to opening day booing which could be in the same position as I and if you could find them at home, they'd still be booing about the same thing – we want to see wins. I understand this stuff doesn't happen over night. As the front office stated last year when bringing back Trembley, they didn't do it based on wins/losses, but whether or not the team has grown as players. This year though, Trembley will be graded on wins/losses and if he's trying to stay in this town, he may want to hold some short leashes on these guys.
You're right Clark. That's what it's all about this season…wins and losses. And I'm glad to see the club held accountable for that this year.
Clark,
I feel for you with wanting to take young children to a sporting event in Baltimore. When my guys were younger, it wasn't like it is now. Seems that sporting events here are about the party, whether it's opening day or any Ravens game.
Bottom line is, everyone loves a winner. The Ravens rule the roost right now, but if they take a slide, you'll see attendance drop there, too.
We've gone through this exact same situation in the 1970's and 80's with the Colts…think about it…what did the fans say then? "Management stinks, players are no good, GM doesn't know what he's doing…I'm tired of the losing"
We've been down this road before.
Everyone loves a winner.
Apologize for chiming in late- I just got back to the land of pleasant living. You guys are beating the wrong drum…I put the blame right smack where it belongs on the Orioles and their media manager. April 9th was my 30th Opening Day and I swear to you, (good call Brusier) the bunting is the same ones from Memorial Stadium and the stupid faded orange carpet has got to go. Let's face it, baseball is an expensive hobby, so if fans don't come out in large numbers, the Orioles need to break with tradition and change it up a tad. Charge is old school, the guess the attendance is stupid, the what year was it- who cares…so the crab shuffle and hot dog race get a rise, because the other stuff is bad. I for one good to OPACY to watch baseball because I love the game, not to hear a bunch of loud mouth fans yelling in my ear. We are no longer a blue collar city- Beth Steel and the Dock workers have been replaced with college educated fans. The fans are more refined, they golf clap and don't go to work the next day hoarse…get over it, maybe they have a presentation at work the next day?
"maybe they have a presentation at work the next day?"
If they do, they are battling one hellacious hangover.
Ah, I don't know that I believe that though. I see the blue collar fans at Ravens games and the Preakness they just disappear from the yard after the opening day. What gives?
The answer is very simple Zach.
I really don't see how you are missing it.
Oh my dear lord where do I start with this topic.
Zach: The first thing I will say is that we are the die hards. And the number of die hards have dwindle so much in the past 12 years that the Orioles are just an after thought at many local watering holes. People are talking about the NFL schedule and when the Ravens play the Steelers. In a nutshell, you get what you produce.
What do you mean, "prove you wrong". You can't just sit here and ignore the product on the field as if it's not related to the atmosphere in the stands. They are mutually exclusive. Did you go to any opening day games when they were halfway respectable? If you did, you would've seen a much different atmosphere. But 12 years of gross mismanagement and losing will do a number on everything that has to do with the Orioles.
I'm having a hard time sympathizing or agreeing with your entire premise. The reason? Because every city would react the same way to their team if they were in the same position as the Orioles.
Your comments about Philly fans is not even close to being remotely accurate. I lived in Philly for 3 years and worked at Comcastsportsnet. I basically lived and breathed Philly sports. Their passion to win? How does Joe Fan's passion to win have anything to do with the actual results on the field? You can't possibly being asserted such a claim can you? Phillie's fans were nowhere to be found during the late 90s when they stunk. The Vet was a ghost town and the fans booed relentlessly. Newsflash: THEY SELL OUT CITIZENS BANK PARK BECAUSE THEY WIN!!!!!!!!! They have gone to the playoffs And let's not forgot how much bigger Philly and it's metro area is compared to Baltimore. The Ravens sell out and the Orioles don't. It's not real hard to see why. Philly fans are ridiculously negative. I was up there when the Halladay deal went down. You wanna know what the majority of the callers who called WIP were saying? "Why couldn't the Phillies trade for Halladay without giving up Lee". It was laughable.
Your last statement is unbelievable. You think the fans have to prove something to you for them to be critical?
The only thing recent history has taught any of us is that the Orioles are a terrible team.
How about directing your anger and venom towards those who deserve it.
Here's a hint. You won't any of them sitting in the green seats at Camden Yards.
I guess we are in the minority here as fans on the BSR. I never gave up on the Colts when they were here, despite having Bill Troup quarterback the team with a cast on his non-throwing hand. I get just as aggravated as anybody, but I still watch em, still go to the park and still try to cheer, even when the idiots in front of me look at me like I have two heads.
The fact that Brooksie got a less than stellar ovation is very disheartening. This is a fan base they begged to have Brooks back and from all accounts, he is scheduled to do quite a bit with the club to honor the 1970 Championship this year.
STG
You correct. We are in the minority. And a very small one at that.
Mark,
I've got a lot of respect for you in that you hate what has happened to the Orioles, but you still chime in here everyday and still go to the park, watch the games, etc. Let me ask you, does it aggravate you that other so-called fans have totally abandoned ship?
I guess I look at it like voting…If you don't participate, don't complain.
What do yo think?
STG
I don't think the voting/fan analogy works for a bunch of reasons.
1. Voting has a direct effect on elected officials. Well, that's what we're told. But that's another conversation for another time. I don't think us as fans have much effect on wins and losses. I would say football fans have more because of the noise factor etc… but that's about it.
2. Some people can't afford to go to the park. Some might be unable to go due to living in different parts of the country or because they are physically unable to go.
3. No, it doesn't aggravate me at all that some people have abandoned ship. I can tell you that many of the people I know that abandoned ship did it for a myriad of reasons besides just losses on the field. The difference between most of them and me is that I was and am more of a die hard. They basically had enough of watching what was once one of the proudest organizations in all of sports being dismantled to the point that it became the laughingstock of the league.
Fans come in all different variations as far as their passion and knowledge of the teams and games they are fans of.
And as I said before, Baltimore is no different than any other city. You know how the Steeler fans are regarded as the best fans in the country etc??? It's all just a media hype. There were tons of no shows for their home game vs GB after they lost in Cleveland the week before. They pulled out a miracle and then the Ravens came to town the next week. I was there. The Steelers were still alive in the playoff race and you could buy a ticket for 20 bucks on the street for the game.
In summary, I think anyone who pays any attention to a team (in this case the O's) can voice their opinion of what they see. Sure, some lack the knowledge to form an opinion that you or I would respect but they don't have any effect on the team etc…
I predicted a 70-92 season for the Orioles. The reason I did is because it's what I truly believe, not what I want to happen. 5 or 6 years ago I'd be frustrated beyond belief at the start we've seen. Now? Well, I expect it so it doesn't bother me as much I guess. I still watch the games and I'm going tomorrow. But I won't stress about it like I do the Ravens. Why? Because there's no point in it.
Mark, I think you're the e exception in this post. I don't have an issue with fans that criticize the team, but care about the product. We clearly don't see eye to eye on how the Orioles need to go about winning, but care enough to show up and be passionate about winning. If you boo this team I have no problem because I know you're a knowledgeable fan.
Zach
My point is, if the team was run well and was halfway respectable you wouldn't see what you are now seeing at the park.
I guess I just disagree that you need to reach some point of "fandom" to have the right to boo. If you are paying 8 bucks for a beer and 5 bucks for a hot dog and the team sucks I say boo away.
We've kinda got a chicken-and-egg argument going on here though. I think the fair-weatherism is ridiculous. And I hate that the Orioles have to be successful for good fans to show up.
Good fans should follow the team through thick and thin.
Successful?
How about competent?
They aren't even there yet.
Stop with the "good" fans BS Zach.
I'll go to more games than anyone I know and it doesn't make me a better fan.
This organization took a dump on it's fans for 10 years and I'm not even talking about the product on the field.
Have you followed everything that's happened?
Because it sounds like you haven't at all.
STG
Nice post, Clark.
I went to Opening Day and I will never go to one again. Zach's comments had merit but the truth is that where I was sitting in the stands (section 1, right field behind the foul pole) the fans were not fans at all. They appeared and behaved like a drunken mob. Not only did they consistently boo when things did not go well they yelled obscenities. They appeared to be more interested in drawing attention to themselves than watching the players. There was even a guy that dressed and looked like our number one fan from the past, Wild Bill Haggarty. I will admit that I am not one that attends many ball games. Why should I pay $44.00 to be blocked every time I want to see a play, listen to people ( I would not call them fans) that will not encourage their team but instead boo them out of existence. I wonder how many people attended opening day only to come away with a negative experience as I did.
Why do we not have more dedicated fans?
Actually I would say that some of the prices at the ball park are downright criminal. A working man who has any respect for his family is not going to spend that kind of money on the chance of exposing his family into an environment that re-enforces negative and vile behavior. Baseball, as I remember it (and I know I am going way back) was a place where you could take your children and grand children and tell them about the heroic triumphs of players long gone. Now it appears that Baseball is marketed to the 20, 30, 40 and 50 years old that never grew up. A game that is marketed to those who know nothing about loyalty to a team, respect for the human being and gentlemanly conduct. It is a shame because there are baseball players that are examples that our kids could follow. These are the same ball players that the fans pounce on with vicious boos when they are down. It truly is a shame.
That's a very interesting take on it. I think you're right about baseball being marketed to an older audience. You certainly don't see many pick up baseball games being played anymore…and I think the younger audience still exists, but is certainly dwindling
One more thing. I believe that Zach is wrong when he says that if you want to boo an Oriole, OK, but back it up. I say if you want to boo an Oriole as Mike Gonzalez was booed then you are no Oriole fan. Fans who boo their players because they are having a down steak are not loyal fans. If a player does something that is un sportmans like then booing may be in order. Booing a player that you claim as your own serves no purposel In fact it will actually put more pressure on him which will probably help him to continue in his down hill slide. All players have good days and bad days. Loyal fans stay with them through thick and thin. You want to be an Oriole, move to New York.
I agree with you, but the sad reality is that it's going to happen every where. In this piece I focused on the fans short attention span with the Orioles.
I've never been known to boo my own players.